


Acceptance

by taosaf



Category: Ever After High, Monster High
Genre: (actually sorta a lot), But Only a Little Bit - Freeform, Cupid is a little bit the worst, Cupid is the worst, How Do I Tag, Kissing, Light Angst, Multi, Party, kinda OOC, seriously, took me a while but we got there
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-08-10 21:15:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7861405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taosaf/pseuds/taosaf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the ghouls throw Cupid and her friends a party, Raven gets an offer to attend Monster High and Dexter isn't the happiest prince.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic so sorry if it's not the best

"Are you joking?" Cupid exclaimed happily into her phone.

"Nope," Frankie said over the other line, "we want to throw you, and all of your friends at Ever After, a party."

The phone shifted to another person. "It will be FANGTASTIC," Draculaura yelled over the phone. "We got Clawdeen and Cleo to organize it, and we even got Twyla excited enough to come!" Draculaura's heavy accent made it difficult to hear her over the phone.

The phone shifted again and she heard Clawdeen's Boo York accent. "Hey ghoul, who are you inviting?" Clawdeen asked. "I need to know how much food to make."

  
"Oh." Cupid hadn't thought about that. "I'll call you when I know."

"Okay, bye ghoul!" She heard all of her friends say their goodbyes and she hung up and collapsed onto her bed.

"What's wrong, Cupid?" her roommate asked while pushing a MirrorPad into Cupid's face.

"Nothing." Cupid pushed the MirrorPad away. "My friends at Monster High are throwing a party for me and I don't know who to invite." She got up and started to pace the room.

"Well, I know someone." Blondie grabbed Cupid's MirrorPhone and pointed at the background, which was a picture of Dexter. "Also, I want to come! I want to film their school, and how they live, and-"

"No," Cupid cut her off, "you are not going to film them." Cupid crossed her arms over her chest. Most of the Monster High students were already self conscious about their flaws, and adding a camera would only make it worse. "You can come, but no filming unless everyone that you point that camera at," she poked the side of Blondie's MirrorPad, "says that you can, and if they feel uncomfortable, you stop."

"Fine. When is it, anyway?" Blondie sat down and started uploading an interview she had done earlier.

"Well, we leave in two days, but the party won't be for another 4-5 days because I want to show you around the school a little."

"That's just right," Blondie said, yawning and putting on her blue nightgown. "I have an interview with Giles Grimm tomorrow and I'm glad it's not then. I'm going to sleep, and you should too." Blondie turned off the light and got in bed. Cupid followed soon after.

* * *

"Really?!" Dexter exclaimed, getting a stern 'sshh' from the librarians. "You want me to go to Monster High? That sounds great!" His exclamation earned him another angry shushing.

"Is there anyone that you want to come? Like Hunter, maybe Hopper, or your sister?" Cupid asked fumbling with her MirrorPhone. She already knew the answer, of course, but she needed to ask.

"I want my sister," that was new, "and Raven." There it was.

"Okay," Cupid said, slightly sadder than she meant for it to be. "Anyone else?"

"Not that I can think of. Hey, um, when is said party?"

"Well, we're leaving tomorrow but the party is in 4 days. I want to show you around the school."

Dexter smiled. "Perfect. I gotta go, but I definitely want to come. Where will we meet tomorrow?"

"In my radio room at 3:00." Cupid tried to smile.

Dexter nodded his head and ran off, leaving a conflicted Cupid behind.

* * *

It wasn't that she didn't like Raven, she actually did, but this was the trip where Cupid wanted to tell Dex her true feelings, and she just couldn't do that with Raven there. Cupid was so lost in thought that she almost didn't notice that she had reached the dorm.  
Knock knock. No turning back now.

Raven opened the door. "Hey Cupid, what's up?" Raven pulled her headphones off of her head and around her neck. Cupid didn't blame Dex for liking Raven, she was beautiful, long hair, big eyes, the perfect skin color...she looked amazing, probably better than the goddess of love herself.

"My friends at Monster High are throwing a party, and I want you both to come."

Apple walked over to the door. "A party? When? What's the attire? Where?" Apple questioned excitedly.

"We're leaving tomorrow, but the party isn't for another 4 days, fancy but not Thronecoming fancy, in my radio room at 3:00." Cupid answered.

"Great, we'll be there." Raven said, closing the door.

Cupid wished Dex didn't like Raven.


	2. Chapter 2

"Can you believe it? Monster High! That's so hexciting!" Apple squealed, throwing a nightgown into her bag.

"Well I guess, but...I don't know." Raven threw a sweater into her bag. "I'm not accepted at my own school, let alone another school full of judgmental teens."

"Raven, they're monsters, you'll fit in just fine," Apple replied. "Besides, we're only going to be gone for a few days. If you don't fit in, it will be fine." Apple smiled as if the sentence she just said would help her friend.

' _She thinks I'm a monster_ ,' Raven thought. Was she a monster? She shared a lot of the same qualities with a monster, powerful, different, mistreated, lonely, feared...evil. The thought brought chills to Raven's spine. Was Apple scared of her? Was Raven scary? Would she fit in better with monsters? These were questions that she couldn't answer at the moment, she needed to pay attention to the party.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Hey, what should I wear to the party?" Raven held up two short dresses. One was black with a silver trim, and the other was a simple purple dress. She already knew which one she wanted, but she wanted Apple's opinion.

"Oh, the black one, definitely. As good as you look in purple, the black dress is spelltacular!" Apple almost broke Ravens ear drums, her voice went so high.

Raven put the purple one back in her closet and put the black dress into her bag. She zipped it up and put her bag next to her bed, then laid in her bed. If she wanted to shower, eat, get ready, AND get to the party on time, she needed to fall asleep before midnight. Apple, however, was perfectly content with staying up past midnight, as well as singing. Apple was still singing along to her favorite song, "Untamed Dreams by Taylor Quick". It was a good song, and Apple had a good voice, but not good timing.

Usually, Raven was okay with her roommate singing, but when Raven was tired, she had no kindness filter. She wrapped her pillow around her head. "Apple, as much as I love you, I need to tell you this," Raven grabbed a pillow and threw it at Apple, "shut up." Raven buried her face into her pillow.

"Sorry," Apple paused her music and got into her bed. "I'm just so excited."

And with that, they both fell asleep.

* * *

"Are you all ready?" Cupid asked. The group standing in front of her consisted of Cupid, Dexter, Raven, Apple, Darling, Blondie, and Cedar. They all nodded, and Cupid stepped through the portal, everyone else following suit.

Monster High was...interesting. They all appeared outside of the school, which was dark and gloomy.

"Well, shall we go in?" Cupid asked, motioning to the gloomy school. Everyone else was confused, and slightly scared, since the school appeared so gloomy. Raven was the first to follow her. The school looked a lot like her house, gloomy, dark, and broken. The inside was no better, spiders were crawling on the walls and bats hung off the ceiling. Holes riddled the floor.

Just then, a girl with a half shaved head of pink and green hair approached them. "Cupid, is that you? You look so different," the girl said, hugging her. She looked at Apple. "Did you bring...normies? Cupid, you know you can't bring normies!" She stepped back, looking scared.

"It's fine, Venus, they're friends!" Cupid put a hand on Venus' shoulder.

"The only normie that I want in this school is Jackson." Venus pushed Cupid's hand off of her shoulder.

More monsters walked towards them. Several looked scared, especially towards Raven and Apple.

' _Great, even monsters are scared of me_ ,' Raven thought. More monsters swarmed the hall. Most yelling, some whispering, but all talking. Raven could hear nearby conversations, consisting of "She's weird," "What is up with her hairstyle," "Is she a normie, or one of us," and "Why did Cupid bring them here?" Raven felt a soft hand touch her shoulder. "Is that even Cupid?" one of the voices said. "She looks different, like one of them." That's when Raven lost it. Her eyes turned a neon purple and her hair radiated purple flames.

"Everyone just SHUT UP!" She yelled, purple flames surrounding her. The room fell silent. She felt the comforting hand leave her shoulder and she turned to see Dexter back away slowly, with a look on his face Raven knew all too well.

' _He's scared, they all are_ ,' she realized. She looked around at her friends, each with a terrified look on their face. Raven blinked a few times, her eyes returned to their original dark purple, and her hair extinguished itself. The circle around her disappeared as she saw three girls step in front of her, one with black and white hair and green skin, one with pink and black hair, the last with plain brown hair but ears on top of her head.

"Look what you did!" The green skinned girl yelled.

"Yeah," the brunette exclaimed, "you provoked her, you should feel bad!"

"Yeah," the other girl agreed, "it's all your fault!"

"Draculaura, what are you doing?" Someone in the crowd asked. "Weren't you chased out of your village by their kind?"

"They're Cupid friends," Draculaura said, "so I trust them, and you should too."

"Yeah!" The brunette yelled.

"If you trust me, then you trust them," a boy with a black hair, a blond fringe, and glasses said, stepping in front of them as well. "Besides, she obviously isn't a normie, how many normies have you seen do that?" He looked a lot like Dexter.

Was this the 'normie' that Venus had been talking about? What exactly was a 'normie'?

The crowd started to murmur and a few more people stepped over to defend them.

"Everyone needs to calm down," the girl with black and white hair and green skin said, standing between the two groups. "They're only here for a few days, okay? There's no point in fighting."

"You're right, Frankie." Cupid stepped forward to address the gathering crowds. "We can't fight. They are here to have fun, and I don't want them to feel insecure, so if you won't accept them then you'll just have to deal with it for a few days." Cupid grabbed Dexter with one hand, Apple with the other, and walked away. Darling looked annoyed as she followed, but she was probably just overprotective of her brother. Blondie and Cedar pushed past everyone and walked close behind the others.

Raven wanted to thank Frankie, Draculaura and the unnamed brunette for standing up for her. "Um, thanks for standing up for me," Raven said, offering a hand to Frankie. Frankie shook it and her hand popped off. Frankie laughed and grabbed her hand from Ravens grasp. Raven's eyes widened. "I'm Raven."

"Frankie," the girl put her hand back on her wrist. "That's Draculaura, and that's Clawdeen," she pointed to the two girls who were talking to the monster version of Dexter. "So, that was a pretty cool thing that you did, how did you do it?"

"Oh," Raven looked down, "I was born with powers because my mom is an evil sorceress, well actually the MOST evil sorceress." Raven twisted her hands together nervously.

"That's totally electrifying! How many other people can do that?" Frankie's neck bolts zapped.

"No one really, other people have magic, but mine is the strongest."

"That's freaky fabulous!"

' _What is with the vernacular here_?' Raven asked herself. ' _Like, I know ours is weird, but this is just confusing._ ' Raven smiled at Draculaura, Clawdeen and the monster Dex.

"That was fangtastic!" Draculaura exclaimed.

"It was great, ghoul," Clawdeen said. "How did you do that?"

"I was born with powers."

"I didn't think that anyone else was like me," the alternate Dexter said, staring Raven directly in the eyes. His eyes were the same beautiful blue as Dexter's.

"Hey, I, um, didn't get your name." Raven put her hand out for him to shake it.

"Jackson," he shook her hand. "Jackson Jekyll." He continued holding her hand after they stopped shaking. They stared into each other's eyes, and for the first time, Raven felt understood, equal...loved. Just then, she heard footsteps and she turned to see who it was, hand still linked with Jackson's. She saw a familiar pair of blue eyes hidden behind black rimmed glasses, the same eyes that she had just been staring into.

"Um, Raven, Cupid wants to talk to you, but if you're busy I'll just go..." Dexter started to walk away.

"Uh, no, it's fine." Raven looked back at Jackson. "I should, um, goodbye, Jackson." She started to walk towards Dexter when she turned to face him again, "Are you going to be at the party? I'd love to see you there."

"Um, well, kind of. If I hear music I turn...different. I'm less kind, and more loud and annoying. Sorry." Jackson looked down at his shoes.

"It's fine," she turned to walk away. "It was nice to meet you." She waved goodbye to the four of them and walked with Dexter to where Cupid presumably was.

* * *

"What took you so long?" Blondie asked, standing outside the door and pushing a MirrorPad into Raven's face.

"Nothing." Raven was now very visibly blushing. It was obviously not nothing. "What about you?"

"Are you blushing?" Blondie asked, frowning. "Well, I've been here the whole time, and you haven't." Raven blush deepened. "Why?"

"I met some people, that's all." Raven shrugged. "Is Cupid in there?"

"Yep, but I want to know everything." Blondie pushed the MirrorPad closer to Raven's face.

"I told you," she pushed the MirrorPad out of her face, "it's nothing." Raven opened the door and put her bag down next to Apple's. "So, Cupid, what's up?"

"Well," she and Apple exchanged glances, "Apple got into a fight with Darling."

"Oh, what about?" Raven walked over to Apple and put her hand on her shoulder.

Apple held her knees close to her chest. "Well, it all started when I was craving an apple, so Darling came with me to the kitchen because she saw it on our way up here, and I started talking about Daring waking me up, and then she got angry and said that it was actually her that woke me up and-" Apple buried her face into her knees. "I'm rambling aren't I?" Apple said into her knees.

"A little," Raven rubbed her back comfortingly, "but with good reason. You just found out that your destiny is a little...different now." Raven looked around the room. "Where are Cedar and Darling?" Raven asked Cupid, still rubbing Apple's back supportively.

"Darling is missing, and Cedar is with her. We were kind of hoping that you could find her with magic," Cupid and Dexter looked at each other, "but you were gone. Speaking of which, where were you?"

"I was talking to Frankie and some others. I can try to find her, where was the last place you saw her?"

"Well, I was in the kitchen and she left. I didn't see where she went." Apple buried her face into her knees again.

Raven stood up and put her hands out to do a spell when she stopped. "I need someone who knows this school really well to help me look around."

"I don't know this school very well because I've been gone for a whole year, but Frankie know this place like the back of her detachable hand."

"Perfect, where is her dorm?" Raven asked.

After many confusing instructions, Raven finally got it right and landed in Frankie's room.

"What are you doing here, Raven?" Frankie frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"Um, yeah. My friends, Darling and Cedar, are missing. Can you help me find them?" Raven asked.

"Oh sure, where was the last place you saw them?" Frankie pulled a shirt with a lightning bolt on it over her tank top.

"Um, the kitchen I think." Raven only now realized how late it was. ' _Time must be different here_ ,' she thought. ' _It was starting to get dark when we got here_.'

"Got it, follow me." Frankie threw on a black and white jacket and walked out the door, Raven soon following.

The longer they walked, the more Raven felt like she already knew the school. It was almost exactly like her mom's castle, but with lockers. ' _I wish Maddie was here, she would make this a lot less creepy_.' Raven smiled at the thought of her ditzy friend.

"Hey Raven," Frankie said, breaking the silence. "Are you accepted where you're from?"

Raven stopped and Frankie turned to face her. "What?"

"You said that you were one of the only people in your school that has magic, so I was wondering, are you accepted? Everyone looked scared when you used your magic."

"Well, I don't know." Now that she was thinking about it, she really wasn't accepted by anyone. Apple, Darling, Cedar, Dexter...they all had had the same scared look on their faces. "I'm not, I guess."

"I thought so," Frankie turned back around and kept walking. "You know, you could always attend Monster High."

Raven looked up from the ground to stare at Frankie. Stay? Here? At first, Raven was angry, but after a few seconds she realized, ' _I'm not accepted there, by anyone or anything, but here...I've only been here for an hour and I already have four friends. There, I've been there my whole life and I only have a few close friends and they're all scared of me_.'

"Can I?"

"Of course! We accept everyone, freaky flaws and all." Frankie smiled. "We can talk to Headmistress Bloodgood, and ask if you can stay."

"I'll think about it," Raven said, taking the lead in their endeavor to find her friends.

They walked for a while longer when she heard a familiar voice. "They're nearby, come on." Raven walked into the girls bathroom and found her friends sitting on the floor, Darling in the same position Apple was in 20 minutes ago.

"Raven!" Cedar yelled excitedly as she hugged her.

"Are you okay?" Raven sat down next to Darling.

"Not really," Darling said into her knees. "Did Apple already tell you what happened?"

Raven nodded and Darling groaned.

"Hey," Raven suggested, "lets, um, go to our room, it's a better place to talk and Apple's there so we can-"

"No," Darling cut Raven off. "I don't want to be near Apple, at least not right now."

"I have an extra bed in my room, she can stay there." Frankie piped in.

"Perfect," Darling stood up and followed Frankie back to her room. Raven and Cedar went back to their room and explained the situation to Apple, Cupid, Dexter and Blondie and they all fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cupid is up to no good

At lunch the next day, Cupid trudged through the line with a frown on her face. "Hey Cupid, how are you?" Frankie asked as Cupid slumped into a chair at the table.

"Terrible," Cupid pushed her tray away from herself and rested her head on the table. "First, Dexter likes Raven and I like him, but he's so bent on getting Raven, and then the whole normie thing happened, and then the Darling and Apple thing happened and, ugh," Cupid shook her head. "It's just so aggravating."

"I'm sorry," Frankie frowned apologetically. "Would you feel better if I said that Raven is staying here and not going back to Ever After?" That got Cupid's attention. She picked her head up off of the table. "She's...what?" "She's going to attend Monster High, or, at least, she really wants to. We talked about it when Darling went missing, and she seemed really excited. Who knows, maybe she will stay here and you can go back to Ever After with Dexter. Raven wouldn't be that upset, I mean, her and Jackson seemed to have a moment."

"Are you suggesting that I should convince Raven to stay here so that I can...date Dex?"

"Not exactly, I just think that she will fit in better here, and if it takes convincing, you will be the best person to do it." Frankie took a bite of her food. As Cupid was thinking, some of her friends sat down next to her.

"Hey Cupid," Apple said, "who's the boy who looks like Dexter?"

"Oh, that's Jackson, the son of Jekyll, but whenever he hears music he turns into Holt, son of Hyde," Cupid looked over to him and realized how similar he was to Dexter. Cupid could see out of the corner of her eye that Raven was looking at Jackson. Was she...blushing? Did she like him? Frankie had said that Raven and Jackson had had a 'moment', but Cupid had never seen Raven look like that. She looked nervous. Did she truly like Jackson? 'This is so confusing,' Cupid thought to herself, 'she doesn't like Dexter but she likes Jackson? That makes no sense.' Cupid ate her food while staring at Raven. Frankie must have noticed because she nudged her. Cupid snapped her attention back to Frankie. "Raven, can I talk to you? In private," Cupid asked, standing up. Raven followed suit after a swift nod of her head. Once they were alone, Raven folded her arms and leaned against the wall.

"So Cupid, what's up?" Cupid let out a breath.

"I heard," she started, "that you want to attend Monster High." Raven peeled herself off the wall and took a step closer to Cupid. "I think it's great," Cupid said hurriedly, "they will accept you here." Her blue eyes met Raven's lavender ones. 'Why did Dex choose her?' The goddess thought. 'Well, she is beautiful and talented and also nice.'

"Frankie told you?" Raven asked. Cupid nodded. Raven sighed. "Well, yes, I do want to attend here. Sometime Frankie and I are going to go to the headmistress' office to ask if I can. I think it will be a good experience, and I want to do this. I called my dad and he said that he wanted me to be happy." Raven shrugged.

"Raven I'm not going to stop you, I'm actually here to tell you that you should!" Cupid smiled. Raven stared at Cupid in disbelief.

"Really?"

'This isn't right, she should be at Ever After.' Cupid heard the voice in the back of her head, but she ignored it. "I think that you will be more accepted here than anywhere else. Apple might not like it, but she would be supportive." Her mind intervened again, 'Dexter wouldn't like it.' 'Whose side are you on, me?' Cupid asked herself with a frown. 'Raven's or mine?' Was she really having this conversation with herself?

"Thank you Cupid, um, was that all?" Raven asked somewhat awkwardly.

"Um no, I was just wondering, do you..." 'You're the goddess of love Cupid, why are you so awkward?' She cleared her throat. "Do you have a crush on Jackson?" Raven's eyes widened.

"Oh, um, I don't know...I guess, I mean he's cute and nice, but...I've only know him for a day, so I'm not sure. Maybe." She was obviously blushing. 'Cupid, no,' the good part of Cupids head told her. The bad countered with a 'Cupid, yes.'

"Well, you are his type, dark, mysterious...but still nice." Cupid had no idea what she was doing yet she did it anyway. Raven's blush deepened.

"I'm going back to lunch," Raven turned to walk into the creep-iteria but stopped and turned back to Cupid. "Can you...not tell Apple? I want to tell her when the time is right, and that time is not now." Cupid nodded her head and Raven walked back in. 'That was easier than expected,' Cupid thought as she went back to lunch.

* * *

The rest of the day was...fun. They finally met more of Frankie's friends (Cupid already knew all of them, but no one else did). They all seemed a little nervous around everyone, except Raven. Cleo liked Apple the most because of her style. Lagoona liked Darling the most because she's the most athletic. Ghoulia liked Dexter because they could talk tech. Spectra and Blondie got along perfectly, sharing stories and gossip. Robecca and Cedar were basically the same, not real and accepting that it would never happen, at least not soon. And then there was Raven, who everyone loved. She was nice and wasn't really a normie, so she was great in every way by their standards.

'She clearly wants to stay,' Cupid thought as she watched Raven talking and laughing with Andy and Jackson. 'She deserves to be here, accepted and understood.' Though Raven was technically her love rival, she wanted Raven to be happy. Apparently Dex realized how much she was talking and laughing and possibly even flirting with them, because he walked over and started to talk to them too. Cupid could only hear pieces of their conversation.

"Hey Dex, so Andy..." Cupid couldn't hear what Raven was saying until her last word, "party?"

"Well I'm not sure..." Andy's voice was too quiet until Cupid heard "beast." Raven nodded knowingly. Because of Raven's laugh and Jacksons chuckle, Cupid could tell that Jackson had said something funny. Cupid saw Dexter staring at Raven with a look that Cupid wished she could get from him. It was love, true love. Love that couldn't be replicated, even with Cupid's arrows. Cupid knew what she had to do. She needed to tell Raven not to stay, to leave and be with Dexter. "Follow your heart" was Cupid's favorite saying, but, she didn't want to follow her heart this time. Her head was telling her that she should be with Dexter and that Raven should stay here. Her heart was telling her that Raven and Dexter were meant for each other. For the first time, Cupid didn't follow her heart. She stood up quickly, attracting the attention of the small group of teens.

"Jackson, I need to talk to you. Come with me." Cupid walked out of the room, Jackson following suit.

"Yes?" Jackson asked when he caught up to Cupid.

"Raven likes you." Cupid paused. "Like, likes likes you." 'Why can't you just say love?' Her inner devil asked. 'Because it's not love,' she told herself, 'it may be romance, but not love.'

"Really?" Jackson scratched the back of his neck. "Are you sure? Do you think that I should go to the party with her? Like, if I were to, I don't know, wear headphones, would she go with me?" Jackson was blushing furiously.

"Definitely, she really likes you." Cupid felt awful about what she was doing, but she shoved the feeling to the back of her mind. Jackson smiled and his blush deepened.

"So, I should ask her?" Jackson rubbed the back of his neck again.

"Definitely." 'Not,' she wanted to say, but she restrained herself.

"I'd better go ask her. Is that all?" Jackson pointed back to the room where they were just sitting.

"Yeah, go ask, I'm sure she'll say yes."

"Alright, wish me luck." A smile spread across Jacksons face as he walked back to the room.

"Bye, Jackson," Cupid frowned, disappointed in herself. One thing was for sure, Raven was going to say yes one way or another.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackson asks Raven if she would go to the dance with him and Dexter is less than happy

Dexter didn't know what had happened to Jackson because he had left the room normally, but was a blushing mess when he came back.

"Raven, may I, um, speak with you?" Jackson asked, motioning toward the other side of the room.

"Sure." Raven stood up and followed Jackson to the other side of the room.

'What did Cupid say to Jackson?' Though Dexter was basically blind without his glasses, he had superb hearing so he could hear their whole conversation.

"So Raven, if I were to, I don't know, wear soundproof headphones to the dance, would you go with me?"

"Of course, that sounds hexcellent!" Raven said quietly but happily.

' _Did Cupid tell him to ask her to the dance? Why would she do that? She knows I like Raven_.' Dexter was so lost in thought that he almost didn't realize that Raven and Jackson came back to the group. Raven had a beautiful smile on her face and Jackson was smiling like an idiot.

"Hey," Blondie walked into the room, "we should probably get some sleep. Coming?" Blondie motioned to the door she had just entered from.

"Okay," Cupid stood up and started to walk away when she realized that Dexter wasn't following "Dex, you okay?" Cupid held her hand out for Dexter to grab.

He declined and got up himself, looking back at Raven. "Coming, just a second."

Raven said goodbye to Andy and Jackson then followed Dexter and Cupid. As they neared the girls' dorm, Cupid started conversation.

"Hey Dex, I know that you were a little uncomfortable last night sleeping in the girls dorm but-" she was cut short by Dexter.

"I'm rooming with Jackson for the rest of the trip, he said I could, I'm only here to get my bag." Dexter sounded a little more angry than he had meant to, but he was upset. Cupid had told Jackson to ask out Raven. He didn't trust her.

Dexter pushed past Cupid and walked into the room. He saw Apple and Cedar talking on one of the beds, and Blondie talking with Spectra on another. His sister was still with Frankie. He walked over to his bag, picking it up and starting back to the door.

"Hey Dex, where you going?" Apple looked up from the magazine she and Cedar were talking about. Everyone else glanced up at Dexter with the same questioning look.

' _H_ _ow do I calmly say that I was betrayed and that I don't want to talk to anyone ever again_?'

"I'm rooming with Jackson," Dexter said coolly as he slung his bag over his shoulder. He pushed past Cupid and Raven once more, accidentally shoving Raven's shoulder in the process. The Charming way would be to apologize profusely and make it up to her in every way possible, but he didn't care. As much as he thought he should, he just...didn't. He's always cared about keeping up his family's reputation, for years he'd been trying his best to fight well and get along with everyone, but right now he was done. The Charming way was to be perfect, but Dexter had ripped himself apart in the process of trying to uphold it, and he couldn't take it anymore.

He walked quickly, trying to get as far from everyone as possible. Making many turns and twists, he soon found himself outside in the courtyard. He opened the gate to the casketball court and slammed it behind him. He threw his bag down and sat next to it, bringing his knees close to his chest and just sitting there, counting the minutes that passed. ' _One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine_...' He got to eighteen before he heard the clang of the metal gate.

"Dex?" The soft voice of a certain love goddess called.

"Go away," Dexter snapped, clutching his knees closer to his chest.

"Dex, why are you so upset?" Cupid rested a hand on his shoulder and Dexter knocked it off with a swift motion.

"No, okay?" Dexter stood up and glared down at her, rivaling her height.

She looked different now, more monstery. Her full feathered wings had thinned and now only a small layer of feathers covered the bones. Her skin had paled to almost a ghostly color. Her hair was a darker hot pink. Her previously blue eyes now had silver irises. She looked so different.

"Stop trying to make me feel better, Cupid, you know exactly what you did!" Dexter's voice raised with every word, ending in an unexpected shout.

Cupid stepped back, but Dexter moved closer.

"I know that you told Jackson to ask out Raven," he steamed. "Why, Cupid? Why did you tell Jackson to ask Raven to the dance? You know that I like– no, love Raven, so why Cupid? Tell me!" Dexter's voice reached his rarely used full yell.

"I..." Cupid looked down at her hands. "I-I don't know." Dexter could see her eyes brim with tears.

"Listen, Cupid," Dexter said in a calmer voice, "I know that your whole essence is love, but sometimes you need to let other people fall in love themselves." Dexter walked past Cupid, grabbing his bag and opening the gate of the casketball court. He swirled around to face her a final time. "Please don't meddle with my life anymore." Dexter walked back towards the school to find Jackson.

* * *

Finding Jacksons room wasn't that hard; just a few lefts and rights, broken staircases, and there it was. However Dex wasn't even paying attention to his surroundings, he was too busy thinking about Cupid. Had he been too harsh? It was just a dance after all, and he could tell Raven he loved her when they got back to Ever After, right? He thought for a little longer, then found himself in front of Jackson's bedroom. Dexter knocked on the door.

"Hello?" A boy with blue skin and flaming hair opened the door. "Who are you?"

"Um, hi," Dexter fiddled with his scarf. "I'm Dexter Charming. Jackson told me this was his room, did I get it wrong?"

"Oh, that guy," the boy nodded. "Yeah, he's uh, kinda here." He walked over to his music player which was blasting a rock song. As he paused the music, flames surrounded his body and Dexter could see the form of Jackson.

"I can't believe that guy," Jackson muttered after the flames dissipated. "He kept me in that form for an hour! Doesn't he know we need sleep?" Jackson turned around and rolled his eyes, giving Dexter a small grin.

"How did you...? He just...poof." Dexter motioned in Jackson's direction.

"Oh, that was Holt. We share the same body. Whenever I hear music he shows up and I can't do anything about it. Was he rude?" Jackson grimaced.

Dexter shook his head.

"Oh good," Jackson let out a relieved breath. "Come on in."

Dexter hesitantly entered the room. There were two different sides of the room, one was red and orange and had all types of music scattered around the floor and the bed. The other side of the room was, in complete contrast, blue and green with a large, very full bookshelf. There was a silver "lapcoffin" on the other bed, with a small green and yellow chameleon lounging on top.

"You can sleep on Holt's bed," Jackson said. "He won't be using it." He picked up the scattered music disks and set them on a shelf.

Dexter laid his bag next to the bed.

"You okay?" Jackson asked, sitting on his bed. "You look upset."

"Yeah, I got in a fight but, it's nothing." Dexter sighed. 'It's actually not nothing, but I don't want to tell you because you're a part of the problem.'

"Okay, I'm going to sleep," Jackson said, slipping on a pajama shirt. "Can I turn off the lights?"

"Yeah, of course." Dexter changed into pajamas and got in the bed. After taking his off glasses he stared at the ceiling until he fell asleep.

* * *

Dexter woke up to blaring rock music. He looked at his phone to see the time, '7:23'. He looked up and saw a boy about his age sitting on the bed opposite him singing music somewhat obnoxiously.

"You must be one of Jacksons friends, one from Ever After." He said with a very loud voice.

"Um yeah, he said I could stay with him." Dexter sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Well get dressed," the teen tossed Dexter his bag. "The party's later tonight and we need to prepare."

* * *

Dexter stared at his reflection in Jackson's mirror. Dex was wearing a black dress shirt with a dark blue vest, the charming crest adorning the lapel. A silver crown replaced his previously gold one. He still had his signature blue sneakers and gray pants on. Dexter's impossible hair remained messy, even though he had tried to tame it for the past twenty minutes.

"You ready to go?" Jackson asked. He was wearing a white dress shirt, a purple glittering bow tie, gray dress pants and matching gray and purple headphones. He looked... interesting. Not that Jackson looked bad, he actually pulled it off quite well.

Dexter sighed internally. Jackson wasn't wearing anything fancy yet he still looked better than Dexter.

"Yeah." Dexter had one last attempt at fixing his hair, then followed Jackson out of the room. As soon as they reached the doorway to the party, Jackson put on his soundproof earphones and walked through.

The party was very big, and very loud. Dexter had to cover his ears. He searched for someone he knew, eventually spotting his sister, Darling. He swiftly made his way over to her.

"Hey Dex," Darling mumbled. "How are you?" She didn't sound interested at all, but Dex knew that that was because she was still upset about the Apple thing.

"Well, Cupid and I got in a fight, and my crush is with someone else, but I doubt you actually want to hear about my problems. How are you?"

"Awful." Darling put her head in her hands. "Apple and I are still fighting."

Darling's voice faded in Dexter's mind as he noticed a familiar figure across the room.

When he saw Raven only one word came to his mind: beautiful. She was wearing a black dress with a deep purple leather jacket. She had a simple messy bun and silver jewelry. Her short boots were black with small silver spikes decorating the heel. There was only one problem. She was dancing with Jackson. Well, Jackson wasn't really dancing, more like swaying hesitantly to the beat with Raven's help. Dexter watched as Raven pulled away from Jackson and walked over to the headmistress and asked her something.

"We're such losers," Dexter moaned into his hands.

Darling patted his back comfortingly. "It's true," she said with a sigh. "Should I go apologize to Apple?"

"I don't know what you would be apologizing for but probably, it's the princely thing to do." Dexter said, hands still covering his face.

"Will you come with me?" Darling asked still staring at Apple, who was sitting alone.

"Why?" Dexter finally took his head out of his hands and looked at his sister.

"Because I don't want to go alone," Darlings eyes widened slightly. "And Raven just said something to her, and judging by her reaction it's something big." Dexter looked up to see Raven hugging Apple and walk into the hall. Apple looked even more depressed now.

"Come on lover boy." Darling grabbed Dexter's wrist. "Close your eyes." Darling instructed. Knowing what would happen Dexter shut his eyes as quickly as possible. Darling flipped her hair and time slowed around them. Dexter was pulled forward by his sister and they reached their destination right on time, the people around them started moving again as if nothing had happened.

"Darling? What happened? You were just sitting over there." Apple stood up and rambled on.

"I'll explain later but first you have to tell us what Raven told you." Darling said. Apple looked at her red heels nervously.

"I'm not really supposed to tell you but..." Apple grabbed the loose fabric of her dress staring down at her red high heels. "She's calling her dad about something really important." Apple's curled hair fell into her face. Dexter's face fell slightly and it didn't go unnoticed. "Go talk to her Dex." Apple put her hand on his arm.

"I don't know what to say." Dexter admitted.

"Tell her your feelings." Darling added. Dexter nodded and ran into the hall to tell Raven how he felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That only took forever. Sorry that it took so long but it's up now and I'm almost done with the whole story so be ready for that. There will be like 3 more chapters btw so it's almost over


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